Improving adult careers services in London - Tailor-made: Economy Committee
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Economy Committee
Tailor-made:
Improving adult careers services in London
June 2013
Economy Committee Members
Stephen Knight (Chair) Liberal Democrat
Fiona Twycross (Deputy Chair) Labour
Tony Arbour Conservative
Gareth Bacon Conservative
Tom Copley Labour
Andrew Dismore Labour
Jenny Jones Green
The Economy Committee agreed the following terms of reference for this
investigation on 13 December 2012:
to determine the characteristics of high quality, evidence-based adult
careers guidance services;
to assess the current provision of adult careers guidance in London; and
to consider any strategic opportunities to support adult careers guidance
across London.
Contact:
For further information: Simon Shaw on Simon.Shaw@london.gov.uk or
020 7983 6542.
For press enquiries: Lisa Moore on Lisa.Moore@london.gov.uk or Julie
Wheldon on Julie.Wheldon@london.gov.uk or 020 7983 4228.
©Greater London Authority June 2013 2
Contents
Foreword 4
Executive summary 5
1. Introduction 8
2. Barriers to effective careers services in London 11
3. Recommendations 22
Appendix 1 – Evidence base 25
Orders and translations 27
3
Foreword
London’s employers report that almost 1 in 6 vacancies are due to skills
shortages – a worrying figure given the current rate of unemployment. So it
is not surprising there are on-going concerns about this shortfall acting as a
barrier to both individuals’ and businesses’ advancement in the capital.
Careers information, advice and guidance should play a key role in helping
Londoners to develop sustainable careers. However, our inquiry found that
the available services fall far short of what Londoners need, especially for
older Londoners, working parents and people in low-paid work who want to
get a better job and then a career.
By reviewing data on international comparators such as Australia and Canada
and also UK experience in Belfast and Liverpool, we have identified the key
characteristics required of a first rate effective adult careers guidance
service:
a clear idea of what services offer;
tailored support according to individual needs;
up-to-date local labour market information;
co-ordinated engagement with local employers; and
accountability of providers’ performance.
We must ensure that money spent on this vital service has the biggest
impact. We recommend change at both the commissioning and operational
levels. We want to see a tailored service for those individuals in key priority
groups where support can be quickly translated into career development.
A recently unemployed 50 year old man who is at high risk of long term
unemployment needs one kind of advice and assistance. A woman returning
to work and looking for career progression whilst balancing demands from
work and family will need something different. A low-paid worker trying to
get on in life will again have different expectations. Specifically designed
careers services for such people would represent a more effective use of the
careers services’ inevitably limited funds.
Londoners deserve and expect a world-class careers guidance service. Our
report recommends practical steps towards achieving this. In particular, we
call on the Skills Funding Agency and London Enterprise Panel to take the
lead in bringing this vision to fruition. Robust evidence from elsewhere
demonstrates the clear values of leadership in championing innovative
practice: these two bodies need to show this can be achieved in the capital.
Andrew Dismore AM
Economy Committee
4
Executive summary
London’s economy is currently hampered by skills shortages and the
demands of the London labour market are changing. Labour market
projections indicate that Londoners need to be better advised on sustainable
careers.
The National Careers Service providers across London offer face-to-face
advice to adults to help them to develop their careers. The core aims of
adult careers services are to provide accessible, impartial and up-to-date
information on the London labour market, and to support people to be
adaptable and to develop resilience in a fast-changing economy.
However, the Committee heard how providers face a number of obstacles
preventing them from having the best impact with their limited funding.
Local bodies and organisations should shape the commissioning,
prioritisation and evaluation of adult careers services in London. However,
the GLA, London Enterprise Panel (LEP), employers and voluntary and
community sector do not currently have a sufficient role in this process.
Furthermore, a lack of local and regional up-to-date labour market
information and weakened employer engagement hamper services. This
results in a lack of understanding of the needs of London’s economy and
confusion and disengagement of employers.
Additionally, when examining the way that resources are targeted to certain
groups, the Committee identified a lack of tailoring of services, including for
people aged 50+, low-paid people, parents and women. These groups face
particular challenges in developing their careers, yet services are currently
not able to address needs. Careers services in London could learn from a
number of good practice examples of working with these groups.
This report focuses on two specific challenges: how to improve the way the
service is commissioned and how to ensure the service provided best meets
the needs of different Londoners.
A vision for careers services in London
Addressing these two challenges forms the basis of the Committee’s vision
for careers services. We believe that careers services could both better
reflect the needs of Londoners and provide tailored support to certain
groups identified by the Committee as being disadvantaged under the
current framework. The elements of this vision are outlined below.
5Reflecting the needs of Londoners, London’s economy and its employers
• The London Enterprise Panel and London government should have a
clear role in the commissioning, design and evaluation of careers services.
The LEP, GLA and SFA should work together to establish this through a
formal recognition of the LEP’s role and specific action by the LEP to
champion Londoners’ needs.
• Careers services should produce up-to-date borough level labour market
information (LMI).
This would be updated on a monthly basis and utilised alongside regional
and national LMI.
• There should be co-ordinated contact with employers.
This would take place across the careers guidance and employment
support sectors and be tailored according to the size of business to
maximise engagement, especially with SMEs.
Better targeting and tailoring of support for Londoners
• There should be tailored support for 50+ people, low-paid people,
working parents and women.
Funding and resources should be identified and focused on offering
tailored support for these groups. The LEP should act as a champion for
this and providers should develop their services according to evidence of
best practice.
• Careers services should make a clear offer to individuals, employers and
partner organisations.
All parties should have a good understanding of the role of the National
Careers Service and the support offered to individuals and employers.
• Careers service providers should have the flexibility for providers to
prioritise resources where careers services can have the most impact.
Providers should be able to respond to individual needs, and apportion
face-to-face guidance according to individual needs, rather than fit
services within a rigid prioritisation process.
• Careers services should be subject to greater transparency of performance
with regular service user and employer evaluation of the service.
Information on provider performance should be regularly published.
Providers should also publicly set out their response to feedback from
service users and employers.
6This report sets out practical steps that should be taken by the Skills
Funding Agency (SFA) and London Enterprise Panel (LEP) as the SFA
commissions the next iteration of the adult careers service. Ofsted and the
National Careers Council should also have a role in monitoring progress.
71. Introduction
The role of careers advice services
1.1. London employers face continued challenges to fill vacancies in the face of
skills shortages. Employers have attributed 15 per cent of all vacancies in
London to skills shortages.1 They have also reported that almost half (46 per
cent) of hard-to-fill vacancies are caused by the low number of applicants
with the rights skills and 13 per cent by a lack of the desired qualifications.2
While larger employers have noted a reduction in skills gaps, mid-sized
employers (25 -199 staff) have reported an increase in skill shortage
vacancies since 2009,3 presenting a continued problem for this significant
section of the London economy.4
1.2. Furthermore, the number of higher level occupations will significantly
increase over the next decade (2010-20). This rise will include professional
occupations, associate professional and technical occupations, managers,
directors and senior officials, all of which require advanced qualifications.5
1.3. Effective all-age careers information, advice and guidance (IAG) services
should play a vital role in supporting individuals to develop their careers by
alerting people to new opportunities and by providing the right information
and support on skills development. This support will help to address skills
gaps and mismatch in London's workforce, particularly in relation to hard-
to-fill vacancies, and boost the capital's economy. The right advice can also
help to reduce the drop-out rate from education and training, maximising
the impact of government funding for adult skills provision.6
1.4. Adult careers services have significant potential to reach a large number of
Londoners. Providers work out of a number of locations including Jobcentre
Plus, FE colleges, community, faith and children’s centres and libraries. .
1
UKCES (July 2012) UK Commission’s Employer Skills Survey 2011: England Results,
Evidence Report 46, 139
2
UKCES (July 2012) UK Commission’s Employer Skills Survey 2011: England Results,
Evidence Report 46, 113
3
UKCES (July 2012) UK Commission’s Employer Skills Survey 2011: England Results,
Evidence Report 46, 36
4
Medium-sized businesses provide 9.3% of employment in London. Source: BIS (December
2012) Business Population Estimates
5
Source: UKCES Working Futures 2012
6
Annual government funding for Skills Funding Agency commissioned adult skills provision
in London is approximately £550m.
81.5. However, the resources available to adult careers services are limited and the
value added is not always clear. Groups we spoke to are broadly agreed that
the National Careers Service in London suffers from low public awareness,7
historical under-investment8 and a mixed record of employer engagement.
This review therefore considers the case for change in how the service can
be best directed to support both individuals and London’s economy.
The National Careers Service
1.6. In recent years, careers services have been significantly reformed. The
National Careers Service (NCS) delivers statutory support for adult careers
services.9 NCS combines online, telephone and face-to-face support for
adults, with online and telephone careers support available to young people.
There are a number of organisations involved in delivery of the NCS adult
careers provision.
• The Skills Funding Agency (SFA) is responsible for commissioning the
different elements of the NCS.
• Regional prime contractors are commissioned by the SFA to deliver the
local elements of the NCS, including face-to-face guidance for adults.
Prospects is the current prime contractor in London.
• Prospects then contracts with 43 different sub-contractors across London
to deliver face-to-face guidance on a one-to-one or group basis. Sub-
contractors include private, voluntary and statutory organisations and
some London boroughs and FE colleges.
• Ofsted inspects the NCS prime contractors.
1.7. The annual budget for the elements of the service delivered by Prospects
and its sub-contractors in London was approximately £10.5m for 2012/13,
and is just under £11m for 2013/14.
1.8. The SFA is currently developing the procurement round to deliver the
National Careers Service from April 2014. The SFA has been consulting on
ways to address some of the shortfalls under the current arrangements. This
consultation presents a clear opportunity for adult careers services to be
better-configured to meet the needs of Londoners and our report is
designed to support that process.
7
At the Economy Committee meeting on 22 January 2013 the Deputy Mayor for Economy
and Enterprise described adult careers advice as ‘the best kept secret’.
8
The review heard how the level of funding makes it difficult for providers to run a viable
service. The current budget for adult careers services is relatively small. Providers are
currently paid £46 per face to face sessions and £20 per ‘outcome’.
9
BIS (April 2012) The right advice at the right time, 5
9How we conducted this investigation
1.9. The Committee’s investigation into adult careers information, advice and
guidance sought to identify the characteristics of a high quality careers
service. We aimed to assess how much the current provision of careers
services in the capital reflect these characteristics, identifying what action
could be taken by the Mayor, London Enterprise Panel and other partners to
strengthen this important service.
1.10. To support us in our work, we commissioned a literature review of
comparable UK, EU and international examples from Dr Deidre Hughes OBE,
a leading academic expert in youth and adult careers policy, research and
practice.10 We also heard from a number of stakeholders and experts and
received 14 formal written submissions. Stakeholders included
representatives of national and local government, careers advice and
employment services providers, business, third sector organisations and
trade unions. Appendix 1 includes further information about evidence
submitted to the review.
10
Dr Deidre Hughes OBE (March 2013) National, EU and international literature review:
adult careers information, advice and guidance (published alongside this report)
102. Barriers to effective careers
services in London
2.1. Our review has focused on two specific challenges: how to improve the way
the service is commissioned; and how to ensure the service provided best
meets the needs of different Londoners.
More effective commissioning for adult careers services
2.2. The Committee heard about a number of components that contribute to
good commissioning of careers services in London. This review highlighted
the need to consider how the service will maximise understanding of
London’s labour market, foster engagement of local employers and allow a
meaningful role for London Government.
Understanding London’s labour market
2.3. The core aims of adult careers services are to provide accessible, impartial
and up-to-date information on the London labour market, to support people
to be adaptable and to develop resilience in a fast-changing economy.
Labour market information (LMI) should provide the right directions for
individuals and advisors to understand more immediate but also longer-term
career opportunities, so that they can map out a sustainable learning and
work plan. To be most effective LMI should include local, regional and
national information and generate an understanding of future growth or
decline in specific sectors or job roles.
2.4. However, our review heard that a lack of local and regional up-to-date LMI
severely weakens careers services in London.11 As the NCS prime contractor
for London, Prospects is required to gather and disseminate labour market
information (LMI) to providers across London. However, it is hampered by
barriers to effective information sharing, including competing targets and
commercial interests for those trying to place people in work. This situation
is to the detriment of Londoners and those trying to advise them on the
current and future labour market.
2.5. We heard concerns that LMI provision is not sufficiently taking account of
the longer term career opportunities in the capital. The science and
11
Economy committee (April 2013) Adult careers information, advice and guidance:
Summary of views and information, 11
11technology, information and communication and green and low carbon
sectors are key areas that should be taken into account.12
2.6. A number of initiatives are in development that aim to address the shortfall
in LMI. The UK Commission on Employment and Skills (UKCES) is
developing the LMI for All project, which aims to provide comprehensive
national and regional LMI to providers and advisors. The regional
information should cover the hardest to fill and most in demand job roles in
the area. The Government also recently announced piloting of local monthly
LMI scorecards.13 Additionally, as part of the new contract for adult careers
services from 2014, prime contractors will be required to manage the local
pages of the NCS website, which could incorporate these scorecards. The
GLA and London LEP have offered to support provision of LMI via the
London Datastore, the central source of data and information for London. 14
These are welcome initiatives but it will be essential to co-ordinate them to
maximise impact and avoid duplication.
Local employer engagement
2.7. To be effective careers services must have the support of local employers.
Employers are more likely to engage in activities that avoid duplication and
provide access to a larger field of potential candidates.
2.8. However, our review heard how employers have to deal with un-coordinated
contact with a number of different employment and skills agencies and
programmes. As a result, employers are confused and disengage.15 There is
also a risk that careers services, impeded by low public awareness, find it
hard to establish a relationship with employers in the context of a plethora
of competing agencies seeking job vacancies and training opportunities.
2.9. To tackle this problem, the Liverpool City Region has produced a labour
market information strategy and Skills for Growth Agreements for key skills
sectors. These include the low carbon, SuperPort, visitor economy and
knowledge economy sectors. Co-produced by the public and private sector,
these agreements provide a framework for developing and aligning training
provision with employer and individual needs.
2.10. In Northern Ireland a high level strategic steering group has been
established to oversee and guide the implementation of the key areas of
12
Transcript of Economy Committee meeting, 19 March 2013
13
Department for Education and Department for Business Innovation and Skills (April 2013)
Rigour and responsiveness in skills, 39
14
http://data.london.gov.uk/
15
Note of informal meeting with the CBI, 4 February 2013
12strategy for careers services. The group includes representatives from
government, business and the inspectorate. The group also takes account
of the objectives of a number of cross-departmental strategies covering
poverty, welfare reform and social exclusion.
2.11. The absence of strategic employer engagement in London led Careers
England and other organisations to advocate a city-wide approach to
employer engagement activity. We welcome that call.
The role of London Government in commissioning adult careers services
2.12. A number of organisations are well-placed to advise on the needs of
Londoners in shaping the commissioning, prioritisation and evaluation of
adult careers services in London. The GLA, London Enterprise Panel (LEP),
employers and voluntary and community sector are key organisations to
provide this advice. In particular, the National Careers Council has
highlighted the benefit of concrete action by LEPs to improve performance
of the NCS.16 However, evidence to our review indicates that they are
currently insufficiently involved.17
2.13. The London LEP recently published its strategy for jobs and growth in the
capital.18 The strategy aims to improve careers guidance in London as part
of a drive to improve knowledge and skills in the workforce. This strategy
outlines objectives to support joint working between key agencies to
develop a much stronger London-wide careers service. This includes
developing integrated career pathway and job vacancy information and
delivering an annual jobs and careers fair in partnership with London First.
The LEP is expected to publish a full implementation plan for these
objectives in the autumn.
2.14. The Committee recognises that the SFA is taking specific action to increase
the GLA and LEP’s role as part of the next iteration of the NCS and in
shaping the contract tender for the London service. Furthermore, a process
is currently underway to achieve the Government’s aim that the priorities of
Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) should be reflected in the NCS from
July this year.19
16
National Careers Council (June 2013) An aspirational nation: Creating a culture change in
careers provision, 30
17
Transcript of Economy Committee meetings, 12 February 2013 and 19 March 2013;
Economy committee (April 2013) Adult careers information, advice and guidance:
Summary of views and information, 3
18
London Enterprise Panel (April 2013) Jobs and growth plan for London
19
Department for Education and Department for Business Innovation and Skills (April 2013)
Rigour and responsiveness in skills, 14
132.15. The Committee heard differing views on the extent to which the National
Careers Service should be devolved to London, as a means of addressing this
deficit. A number of stakeholders supported the nationally commissioned
service structure, but suggested that the LEP and GLA should be more
closely involved in shaping the local specification for the service and
measuring its success in London.20 Others suggested that a more radical
localisation of the service was needed as suggested by Lord Heseltine in his
recent growth review.21 Our expert consultant Dr Deirdre Hughes stated
that “shifts towards more localised provision such as Local Enterprise
Partnerships highlight the necessity of both a national careers framework,
supported by local partnership approaches to reduce confusion and
duplication in training and resources, especially LMI and ICT developments,
and to raise quality standards. A London-wide careers strategic steering
group could assist the GLA and LEP in their employer engagement and
industrial strategy plans.”
We conclude that careers services in London should:
• More accurately reflect the needs of Londoners by ensuring that
there is a clear role for the London Enterprise Panel and London
government in the commissioning, design and evaluation of the
service. The LEP, GLA and SFA should work together to achieve
this.
• Ensure that providers and other agencies have access to current
borough-level labour market information. This should be updated
on a monthly basis and utilised alongside the LMI for All open
source data.
• Co-ordinate contact with employers across the careers guidance
and employment support sectors. This should be tailored
according to the size of business to maximise engagement,
especially with SMEs.
20
Transcript of Economy Committee meetings, 12 February 2013 and 19 March 2013
21
The Rt Hon the Lord Heseltine of Thenford CH (October 2012) No stone unturned, 166
14Better targeting and enhanced tailoring of careers services
2.16. While the website and telephone service are universally accessible, face-to-
face guidance is rationed to one session per year. Only certain priority
groups are entitled to a maximum of three face-to-face sessions per year.
The Committee has heard concerns that this level of support for those
furthest from the labour market, and with the most intense needs, may be
inappropriate. As the Child Poverty Alliance highlighted in their evidence to
us “a careers advice website will help many people who are actively seeking
support, but for anyone with more complex needs, more intensive support is
required. Voluntary and community sector organisations report, for example,
that a limited run of three short advice sessions is not enough for homeless
people, and that individualised support over the longer term (based on a
thorough initial assessment of need) would be far more effective in
improving motivation and sustaining employment.”
2.17. Therefore, access to the face-to-face element of the service should be
apportioned in the most effective way: to those with less intense needs,
whom the NCS can support effectively to develop their career management
skills.
2.18. Duplication of referrals is another way that resources are misplaced. This
duplication occurs when people who have already been referred for face-to-
face guidance from one provider are then referred in the same financial year
to another provider. As a result service users go through a repeated process
and providers cannot claim for the cost of the intervention.22 We were told
that such duplication is likely to be an issue specific to London, due to the
high number of providers and density of population. Prospects, as the prime
contractor for London, expressed concern at high levels of duplication and
has committed to addressing the problem.23
Meeting the needs of specific groups
2.19. NCS providers are currently funded according to their ability to target a
number of priority groups. The groups are decided at both a national and
local level. National priority groups for the service are people without basic
skills, people facing redundancy and people with learning difficulties or
disabilities. Local priority groups for London are people from the 20% most
deprived wards, offenders on probation in the community, people aged 19-
24, and people in employment (to foster in-work progression). Provider
performance and adjustment of funding by the SFA is assessed according to
22
Note of informal meeting with a group of NCS sub-contractors, 5 March 2013
23
Transcript of Economy Committee meeting, 19 March 2013
15how well these targets are met rather than providers’ ability to tailor services
for these groups.
2.20. During the course of the review, we heard concerns that despite specific
targets being in place for providers, services are not effectively tailored to
those groups. Indeed a disproportionate focus on targets appears to put
provision of tailored services at risk. The rigid structure requires providers to
deliver a certain amount of face time to certain groups but providers report
that it does not allow them to tailor their services to these groups.24
2.21. Evidence to this review highlighted barriers and shortfalls in relation to a
number of groups linked to age, employment status, gender, disability and
ethnicity. The investigation found that in London there is, in particular, a
distinct lack of tailored careers support for people aged 50+, low-paid
workers, and those returning to work, including parents and women. These
groups are not specifically targeted as part of the current prioritisation
framework either.
50+ people
2.22. There are two key drivers for the need for careers services for people aged
50+.
2.23. The first is the need for individuals to progress and adapt as they age.
Research cited by Age UK London found that nearly three times as many 50
+ workers wish to progress their careers than wind up for retirement.25
Indeed the removal of the default retirement age has highlighted the need
for more explicit careers guidance for older workers to support them to stay
in work. Dr Hughes’ research also highlighted the potential for significant
cost-benefit advantages in offering mid-career workers career guidance in
order to maintain career adaptability. Indeed, in France this need is
recognised by a statutory entitlement to a career review at 47. As Chris
Walsh, Wise Owls, noted “You need a lot of specialist trained support for
the 50 plus and, unfortunately, the reality is that it has been
decimated...There are very few specialist 50 plus advisors.”
24
When considering the needs of different groups, it is vital to consider targeting and
tailoring as separate concerns. “Targeting” is about ensuring different groups access a
service i.e. come through the service’s door or access their website, whereas “tailoring” is
focused on providing a service that is able to meet individual needs i.e. meeting individual
needs once someone is in contact with a service.
25
Smeaton D et al (2009) Older workers’ employment preferences, barriers and solutions,
EHRC
162.24. The second driver of the need for specialised guidance is the specific
challenge of redundancy or unemployment for this group. 50+ jobseekers
face serious difficulties in moving into or returning to work, particularly
those facing unemployment for the first time. Over 40 per cent of
unemployed people aged 50+ and in receipt of Jobseeker's Allowance stay
on the benefit for over 12 months.26 This is the highest proportion for any
age group.
2.25. Guidance in these situations must take account of the multiple challenges
faced by some groups. For example, there is also a mismatch between the
sectors where the majority of older women currently work and where jobs
growth will be over the next 5-10 years. Public administration is projected to
shrink and the education and health sectors have little projected growth.27
2.26. Age discrimination persists as a key barrier for older people. For example,
the think tank Policy Exchange submitted otherwise identical dummy CVs
for 1,200 jobs, half from people aged 50+ and half from people aged under
25; the under 25s had double the number of positive responses.28
2.27. But older people aren’t always able to access the help they need. Data for
the number of people aged 50-65 accessing the National Careers Service in
London indicate that people aged 50+ are under-represented in the client
caseload. While this age group make up 21.5 per cent of the adult working
age population (defined as 18-65 years), just 14.4 per cent of the NCS
caseload for 2012/13 were from this age group.29
2.28. Karl Murray from BTEG noted that “certainly one of the issues around the
promotion and also the perception around the promotion, or driven by the
promotion, is that it is geared for young people.” People over 50 require
tailored support to assist them as they address unemployment and age
discrimination. They need support in addressing emotional barriers such as
low motivation or anger. They also need guidance to understand the
possibilities presented by transferability of skills, changing sector, different
working patterns, self-employment or starting a business. We heard of a
number of examples of good practice in tailoring careers support for older
workers including in Victoria State, Australia where the Experience+
Corporate Champion programme supports employers to both recruit and
26
DWP (April 2013) Regional Labour Market: HI07 - Headline Indicators for London
27
Women's Business Council (2012) Staying on evidence paper, 4
28
Policy Exchange (June 2012) Too much to lose: Understanding and supporting Britain's
older workers, 43
29
Client caseload data provided to the Economy Committee by Prospects in April 2013
17retain staff over 45. Advice and guidance includes career planning, positive
age management and mentoring.30
2.29. Our consultant concluded therefore that “research findings on mid-career
changers broadly indicate changing expectations of how long people will
work and the challenges of an ageing workforce. In such circumstances,
there could be significant cost-benefit advantages in offering mid-career
workers career guidance that could extend the length of their
careers…Those who do not engage in substantive up-skilling or re-skilling,
through either formal learning or learning in work, run the risk of being
'locked into' a particular way of working and are more vulnerable in the
labour market if there is a significant change in their job or their
circumstances. That is, career adaptability can either stall in its development
or decay.”
Low-paid workers
2.30. In London there are 1.1m children and adults living in poverty in households
where at least one person is in work.31 Effective careers services can support
individuals’ career advancement, preventing them from becoming 'locked
into' low-paid employment and helping a household to move out of in-work
poverty. This potential differentiates careers services from other
employment programmes, which can focus on people getting into any kind
of employment.
2.31. Our review found that adult careers services currently place inadequate
emphasis on advancement, particularly for people in low-paid employment.
As Stephen Evans, from Working Links noted “we have lost sight of the
advancement part which is particularly critical if you look at somewhere like
London where we have got such a high prevalence of low-paid work and we
need to help people to progress onwards.” Our expert consultant found in
her research that ”new strategies are needed to ensure a growing number of
individuals, particularly those in low-paid work, do not find themselves
marginalised and are able to advance their careers.”
2.32. Other countries are adopting new strategies to help low-paid people
advance in their careers. For example, Iceland’s Guidance and Counselling in
the Workplace programme specifically targets people with little formal
education.32 Careers counsellors provide group and individual support for
30
http://deewr.gov.au/experience
31
http://www.londonspovertyprofile.org.uk/indicators/topics/income-poverty/child-and-
adult-poverty-and-work/
32
http://www.programkontoret.se/Global/Engelsk%20webbplats/Grundtvig%20Conferenc
e/Sigridur_Disa_Gunnarsdottir.pdf
18employees in their own workplace or a local careers centre. There is
evidence that this has prompted an increase in self-referral to careers
services among the target group.
2.33. The current local priorities for the National Careers Service include the target
of 15% of clients being in employment. However, this does not prioritise
those in low-paid employment, nor necessarily lead to any tailoring of
support for this group.
Working parents
2.34. The London labour market presents some particular difficulties for working
parents, particularly for women returning to work after a break for raising
children. The exceptionally high cost of childcare in the capital is a major
barrier to employment. Furthermore, people in London tend to work longer
hours and have longer commutes than people elsewhere. These inter-
related factors lead to a situation where many parents on low to middle
incomes find that working is simply unaffordable.
2.35. As a consequence, London has the lowest level of maternal employment in
the country; just over half of London mothers with dependent children work,
compared to almost two thirds across the UK.33 In London, over half of lone
parents are out of work, compared to 38% in the UK as a whole.34
2.36. The Women's Business Council recently highlighted a number of concerns
regarding women's employment and career progression. Nearly half of
women working part-time are over-qualified for their job and a rising
proportion of women in part-time jobs want to work full-time.35
2.37. Evidence presented to the Committee highlighted how the National Careers
Service is not currently meeting the needs of parents. In particular, the
service is falling short for those trying to move into employment, returning
from a break in employment or in low-paid work. Our work has identified a
particular deficiency in support for women. Engaging this group is a
significant challenge for services; working parents will have limited capacity
to engage in career progression when they are focused on managing the
balance between working and family life. As Kate Bell from Child Poverty
Action Group noted “it is really hard to engage with people, particularly busy
parents, once they have got a job because once you have got a job you are
thinking, "How do I manage my job?" not, "How do I manage my next job?"
33
GLA Economics (2010) Women in London’s Economy: 2010 Update
34 www.londonspovertyprofile.org.uk/indicators/topics/work-and-worklessness/lone-
parent-employment-rates
35
Women's Business Council (2012) Getting on and branching out evidence paper, 5-6
192.38. More widely, polling of 1,289 women by Women Like Us in 2012 concluded
that women perceived a lack of advice and support at the point of returning
to work after having a child. Key findings include:
• 71% had either never received careers advice or had last received it at
school or university;
• 6 in 10 (61%) said their career-based decisions had changed significantly
since having children.
Our review covered a number of examples of good practice of parental
engagement in careers services. Women Like Us had been funded to pilot
careers advancement advice, targeting parents and carers in South London,
offering in-depth guidance, particularly on managing work and family life.36
The Canadian Career Development Foundation (CCDF) offers targeted
parent workshops and seminars on how the world of work has changed over
the last decade.37
We conclude that careers services in London should:
• Provide tailored support for 50+ people, low-paid people, parents and
women. Funding and resources should be identified and focused on
offering tailored support for these groups. Providers should be
equipped to meet the specific needs of these groups. Providers should
develop their services according to evidence of best practice of working
with these groups.
• Make a clear offer to individuals, employers and partner organisations.
All parties should have a good understanding of the role of the
National Careers Service and the support offered to individuals and
employers.
• Allow providers the flexibility to prioritise resources where careers
services can have the most impact. Providers should be able to
respond to individual needs and apportion face-to-face guidance
according to individual needs, rather than fit services within a rigid
prioritisation process.
36
Transcript of Economy Committee meeting, 12 February 2013
37
http://www.ccdf.ca/ccdf/
20More effective performance management
2.39. There is currently a lack of transparency of adult careers services’
performance. Too little information is gathered and too little is made
available publicly. This results in reduced accountability.
2.40. The SFA is currently planning to improve the data collection for the NCS.
However, as Stephen Evans from Working Links explained, we do not know
if Prospects is performing better or worse than other contractors in part
because the data are not published. Chris Walsh from Wise Owls
championed openness in the ability of contractors to deliver contracts. This
transparency would include publishing the outcomes for services, however
uncomfortable it may be for the contracting authorities or providers.
2.41. Ofsted would be able to role inspect the National Careers Service more
effectively if it had access to better quality data. This particularly applies to
inspecting the support available for the specific groups we highlight. Some
of the specific concerns identified during our review fall under the equality
and diversity aspect of inspections, but are also within the remit of the three
principal areas of inspection - outcomes for learners; quality of teaching,
learning and assessment; and effectiveness of leadership and management.38
2.42. Furthermore, service user evaluation of the service needs to move beyond a
survey of customers and engage users in meaningful detailed ways. UKCES
has identified service users being able to drive change to services as a key
characteristic of effective careers service design.39 Dr Hughes argues that
services should adopt consultative user forums. In the Nordic countries,
service users have an active role in improving services.40
We conclude that careers services in London should:
• Ensure regular service user and employer evaluation of the service.
Providers should publicly set out their response to this feedback.
38
Ofsted (2013) Additional guidance on inspecting the National Careers Service from
September 2012
39
UKCES (August 2011) Helping individuals succeed: Transforming career guidance through
technology, 5
40
Vilhjálmsdóttir G et al (2011) Voice of users: Promoting quality of guidance for adults in
the Nordic countries
213. Recommendations
The Committee recommends the following steps be taken by key agencies to
improve all-age careers service provision in London. These recommendations
cover the design, procurement, implementation and inspection of the next
iteration of the National Careers Service.
Recommendation 1: the London Enterprise Panel
The London Enterprise Panel (LEP) should set out in this autumn's
implementation plan how it will champion effective adult (and
young people) careers services in London.
The LEP’s Employment and Skills Working Group41 is the right body to
champion careers information, advice and guidance in London. The LEP
membership of employers and key public sector agencies are well placed to
assess the level of current provision and champion improvements. The LEP’s
implementation plan for the Jobs and Growth Plan for London should set
out concrete actions to improve performance. These should include:
• championing the key characteristics of an effective all-age careers service
as part of contact with key agencies, particularly during the
commissioning of the next iteration of the National Careers Service and
its delivery from April 2014;
• regular reviews of the performance of all-age careers services as part of
the planned bi-annual Skills and Employment Working Group panel
summits;
• targeted outreach and tailored content for the planned annual jobs and
careers fair to attract and meet the needs of people aged 50+, low-paid
people, parents and women; and
• ensuring growth areas in London, including science and technology,
information and communication and the green and low carbon sectors,
are covered by providers and sources of labour market information.
41
http://www.london.gov.uk/priorities/business-economy/london-enterprise-
panel/priorities/skills-employment?destination=node/31106/edit
22Recommendation 2: the Skills Funding Agency
The SFA should take the following actions to increase the
effectiveness of all-age careers services in London, to ensure they
provide tailored support and to enhance accountability.
By September 2013 the SFA should set out the formal role of the
London Enterprise Panel (LEP) in shaping careers provision in a
formal document such as a formal Memorandum of Understanding.
The document would include a role for the LEP in:
• amending and formally reviewing the specification for the contract for
local delivery of the National Careers Service (NCS);
• assessing tenders for the local delivery of the NCS in partnership with the
approved prime contractor; and
• identifying local skills and growth priorities in partnership with the NCS
prime contractor.
By September 2013 the SFA should set out how the piloting of
labour market information monthly scorecards will reflect the labour
market at a borough-level.
This will involve co-ordinated engagement with the London Enterprise
Panel, London boroughs, London Councils, key agencies and employers to
create comprehensive and up-to-date information.
From April 2014, the SFA should allow providers greater flexibility in
dividing resources according to individual needs and where an
intervention will have most impact.
This would move services away from less meaningful targeting of specific
groups to a model of tailoring services according to individuals’ needs. This
would lead to better support for people aged 50+, people in low-paid work,
parents and women. The Committee recognises that the SFA is already
engaging with this challenge.
From April 2014, the Skills Funding Agency should publish quarterly
information on National Careers Service providers' performance.
The data should allow cross-referencing of datasets to better
understand the characteristics of service users and impact of
interventions.
23The SFA should already be collecting this information for its own use, but
should also make it public. This would address the paucity of publicly
available information on providers' performance fostering greater
accountability. This information should include data on the characteristics
of those accessing the service and their outcomes, including people aged
50+, low-paid people, parents and women.
This would both allow LEPs, employers and the wider employment support
sector to have a better understanding of the role and value of careers
services, as well as highlight areas of strong and weak provision.
Recommendation 3: Ofsted and the National Careers Council
With immediate effect, Ofsted should inspect careers service
provision for people aged 50+, low-paid people, parents and women
during its inspection visits and monitoring of the National Careers
Service prime contractor in London. The National Careers Council
should champion a focus on the needs of these groups.
Ofsted should proactively seek information on the level and quality of
support available to these specific groups during both inspection visits and
other monitoring.
The National Careers Council should monitor progress and feed their
findings into relevant Strategic Advisory Groups at a national and pan-
London level.
24Appendix 1 – Evidence base
Written submissions
1. Age UK London
2. Black Training and Enterprise Group (BTEG)
3. London Child Poverty Alliance
4. CfBT Education Trust
5. Prospects
6. Careers England
7. Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS)
8. Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG)
9. Skills Funding Agency (SFA)
10. Ofsted
11. Unionlearn
12. Unison
13. Wise Owls
14. London Voluntary Service Council (LVSC)
Public comments
The Committee received 2 submissions from members of the public.
Committee meetings
12 February 2013, with the following guests:
• Kate Bell, Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG)
• Emma Stewart, Women Like Us
• Stephen Evans, Working Links
• Chris Walsh, Wise Owls
• Karl Murray, Black Training and Enterprise Group (BTEG)
For the transcript see:
http://www.london.gov.uk/moderngov/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=255&MI
d=4600&Ver=4.
19 March 2013, with the following guests:
• Dr Deirdre Hughes OBE, DMH Associates
• Clare Arnold, Skills Funding Agency
• Neil Roberts, Skills Funding Agency
• Brenda Cabras, Prospects
25• Paul McKeown, Jobcentre Plus
• Ian Ashman, London Enterprise Panel Employment and Skills Working
Group
• For the transcript see:
http://www.london.gov.uk/moderngov/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=255
&MId=4601.
Informal meetings
The Committee Chair and/or Scrutiny Manager held informal meetings with:
• A group of National Careers Service sub-contractors
• Holly Hardisty, CBI
• Cllr Linda Taylor, LB of Merton and National Careers Council
• Steve Kerr, London Voluntary Services Council (LVSC)
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